Only the text and the last page of the autograph score of the Christmas Cantata Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe BWV 197.1 (197a) have survived, beginning with the end of the 2nd aria. This, along with the complete surviving 3rd aria are found in parody versions in the Wedding Cantata BWV 197 / BWV3 197.2, from which this cantata takes its BWV number. For a long time there has been a fascinating theory about the missing opening chorus: could this have been the parody source for the Gloria in the Mass in B minor?

The musicologist and organist Pieter Dirksen has pursued this, creating a four-part choral version largely derived from corrections made in the autograph of the Mass in B minor. He has underlaid this with the text of the opening chorus (the German translation of the Gloria). What results is a convincing version of the Christmas Cantata – with one of Bach’s best-known choruses as the prominent opening chorus and plausible solutions for the other sections missing in the autograph.

Scoring: Solo SATB, Coro SATB, 3 Tr, Timp, 2 Fl, 2 Ob, Fg, 2 Vl, Va, Bc

Language: German/English

Duration: 25 min

Biblical text: Lk 2,14 (Satz 1)